Search results:

Share:

UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson has proposed building a bridge across the English Channel to link Britain and France after Brexit.

The idea for the 22-mile-long crossing was reportedly put forward during an Anglo-French summit that took place on 18 January 2018, according to publications including The Guardian.

During the meeting, which was called to discuss issues including Brexit and immigration, Johnson is understood to have described the fact that the two countries are connected only by the undersea Eurostar rail tunnel as "ridiculous". French president Emmanuel Macron agreed, saying "let's do it", according to The Telegraph.

Johnson, who played a lead role in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union in the 2016 EU referendum, tweeted: "I'm especially pleased we are establishing a panel of experts to look at major projects together."

"Our economic success depends on good infrastructure and good connections. Should the Channel Tunnel be just a first step?" he continued. If the project were to get the go-ahead, the 35.4 kilometre structure would be in the top 20 of the longest bridges in the world.

Industry figures ridicule plans for "Boris bridge"

But the foreign secretary's suggestion has largely been met with scepticism and ridicule. The UK Chamber of Shipping tweeted: "Building a huge concrete structure in the middle of the world's busiest shipping lane might come with some challenges".

The Guardian's architecture critic Olly Wainwright jibed: "What are the odds that Thomas Heatherwick has already designed it?", referring to Heatherwick's abortive Garden Bridge, which Johnson commissioned while mayor of London. Meanwhile architect Alan Dunlop told The Times it would be easier and less expensive to "just move France closer".